The Foreign Service Journal, April 2013

18 April 2013 | the foreign Service journal AFSA needs to do more to engage its newer members’ experience. and-out rules and time-in-class limits have created a tranche of “young retirees” for whom annuities are necessary, but not sufficient, for post-Foreign Service lives. These members are “moving on,” and AFSA needs to do more to engage their post-9/11 experience and perspec- tive—both to benefit from their immedi- ate operational insights and to enlist their energetic promotion of Foreign Service interests throughout the government, on Capitol Hill and elsewhere in the U.S. Promoting Professionalism We also need to launch a drive to redeem the term “elitism.” Far from being a dirty word, it is more vital than ever, now that the United States can no longer assume innate power will make up for the shortcomings of its diplomats. AFSA needs to endorse a “core curriculum” for prospective Foreign Service candidates; present a model oral examination (the graduate record exams should suffice for the “written”); require 3/3 competence in a world lan- guage and/or comparable competence in a “hard” language upon entry; and reinstate rigorous mid-career and Senior Seminar training, combined with regular professional recertification. Moreover, a direct defense of profes- sionalism—a naming of names—against the frequent incompetence of political appointees must be a top priority. AFSA should present a list of qualified career professionals for the most prominent posts and give the equivalent of a negative American Bar Association review for nomi- nees selected without AFSA endorsement. There are certainly many diverse chal- lenges facing the Foreign Service in the second decade of the 21st century. The key to addressing themwill be to engage the Foreign Service community and leader- ship of the foreign affairs agencies with vigor and creative imagination. n